The recent decision by the Supreme Court not to entertain the case brought forward by Republicans Kari Lake and Mark Finchem concerning the utilization of voting machines in Arizona marks another setback for the GOP candidates. Their legal pursuit, aimed at blocking the use of electronic voting machines in the state citing concerns regarding their accuracy and reliability, faced successive rejections.
Lake and Finchem petitioned the Supreme Court to reconsider a federal appellate judge’s dismissal of their case in October. Their lawsuit challenged the certification of Arizona’s optical scanners, ballot marking devices, and associated software, alleging hacking and manipulation of the state’s voting machines, particularly highlighting discrepancies in Maricopa County’s vote count following the 2020 election.
Initiated ahead of the November 2022 midterms, where Lake vied for governor and Finchem for secretary of state, their legal endeavor encountered initial rejection by a federal judge in 2022, a decision upheld by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals the subsequent year.
The appellate court underscored that the plaintiffs’ contentions primarily focused on potential future threats rather than past harm, failing to substantiate plausible claims that future elections would be adversely affected, given the existing safeguards, including paper ballots and post-tabulation retention measures outlined in Arizona law.
The Supreme Court’s refusal to review the lower court’s ruling effectively concludes Lake’s and Finchem’s legal challenge.
Expressing disappointment, Kurt Olsen, one of the attorneys involved in seeking Supreme Court intervention, emphasized the absence of a ruling on the merits of their case, citing purported lack of standing as the basis for dismissal. Despite the setback, Olsen reiterated their commitment to raising pertinent issues, especially in anticipation of the forthcoming 2024 election.
Notably, this legal endeavor aligns with broader efforts within the Republican camp, including Lake, Finchem, and former President Trump, to cast doubt on the integrity of the 2020 and 2022 election outcomes in various states, such as Arizona, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, despite consistent reaffirmation of these results through legal channels.